Rachel Sennott enters the video call and right away begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming really regretful. Despite being only a bit delayed, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is precisely what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Anyone who know her boldly queer and brash film Bottoms—which she penned with the director and appeared in with close companion the talented actress—would understand that she possesses a lot to discuss, ranging from on gender, intimacy, or the pros of creating a teen fight club. Furthermore, once you finish her new eight-part show I Love LA, it is clear that she has additional insights on the challenges of modern youth (At 30, she represents a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for straddling different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, referencing it in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which details the journey of a social media star Tallulah and her friend who is also new agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest influence on concept belonged to Entourage, the program depicting a rising A-list actor making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from personal, originally rocky, move to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that included her understand some big truths, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, the star commenced writing and performing comedy while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically drawn to having babies; a different one imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned regarding her earlier will certainly be regretting it today. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” story, she appears to created an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a video titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents balancing benefits of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). One might tempting to make a program about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of privileged twentysomething existence that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she comments. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant
